


Calm

by Butterfly_girl



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Bittersweet, Blind Ignis Scientia, Couch Cuddles, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, World of Ruin, hair petting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 12:51:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14811711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Butterfly_girl/pseuds/Butterfly_girl
Summary: Gladio and Ignis don't get to spend much time alone these days but, when they do, it's more perfect than ever.Written for Gladio Fluff Week Day 4: Hair Petting





	Calm

It had been a while since they’d spent time alone together. The days were busy and the nights were even worse. Not that it was particularly easy to distinguish between the two these days. Darkness was darkness after all.

They rarely even hunted together now, despite the fact that Ignis had recovered well and was almost back to his old self. It made sense, really. They were all struggling through the darkness and Gladio supposed that Ignis was more used to it now than any of them. Watching him fight, wielding his daggers with deadly accuracy as he navigated his way through the battle through sheer determination alone, Gladio felt nothing but admiration for Ignis. It would have been so easy for him to give up after Altissia- nobody would have blamed him if that’s what he’d decided to do. But he’d picked himself up and brushed himself down as though his injuries meant nothing, and Gladio loved him all the more for that. 

Not that it stopped him worrying and- although they still tried fighting side by side occasionally- it didn’t seem to work for either of them. They just cared too much about each other. And besides, someone needed to stay behind and look after Cindy (although Gladio was sure she’d be the first to object to the idea of being ‘looked after’).

It had been a long day of hunts- even longer and tougher than usual if the ache that spread through his body was anything to go by- and Gladio had never been more grateful to arrive back at Hammerhead. His muscles were burning as though someone had set fire to them one at a time in a deliberate attempt to cause him pain and every step he took seemed to take such a huge amount of effort that part of him expected his trembling legs to collapse underneath him and send him tumbling down to the ground with a crash. 

Somehow they continued to hold him upright, allowing him to make his way slowly and painfully towards the part of the house that he now shared with Ignis. They’d have been happy living in the caravan- in Gladio’s mind anywhere would have been fine as long as they were together- but Cindy had insisted it was far too small and that, since they were helping her out so much, they deserved to stay somewhere more comfortable. He’d objected- they both had- but he’d soon learnt that arguing with Cindy wasn’t worth the energy. Once she’d set her mind to something, she always got her way. So before long they were moving their things across into the main house and settling themselves in. 

And to be fair to Cindy, it had been the right decision. They had much more privacy here and, since it didn’t look like they’d be going anywhere any time soon, it at least felt like a less temporary solution. It was as close to as home as they were going to get.

Gladio shrugged off his jacket, damp and heavy as a mixture of sweat and blood clung to the thick material, and slung it scruffily over the arm of the couch. He ran his hands through his hair, brushing it back from his face before piling it on top of his head and tying it tight- anything to stop it clinging to the hot, clammy skin on the back of his neck. He knew it had got long- he could feel it fall irritatingly into his eyes sometimes in the middle of a battle and, very occasionally when he was in a particularly bad mood, he threatened to just cut the lot of it off. But somehow he’d never quite gotten round to it. And as Ignis constantly reminded him- time was far too precious to spend it worrying about appearances.

Sinking down into the soft cushions, a small groan escaped his lips as he tried to ignore the stiffness that caused his back and legs to resist the simple movement. 

“Gladio? Is that you?”

Gladio felt himself relax as the sound of Ignis’ voice, soft and bright like the remnants of a piece of music being carried along by the wind, drifted towards him from the kitchen. It was the one thing that never failed to make him smile, but whether this was because of the mere familiarity of it- a reminder of happier times- or the fact it was always so calm and gentle he could never quite decide. But what he was sure of was that it belonged to the man he loved and as long as he had Ignis, it was worth fighting through any amount of pain. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to make sure he was able to return to that voice at the end of the day. Nothing.

“Hey, Iggy,” he called, leaning forward to unlace his boots. “Sorry I’m so late.” He added the second statement more out of habit than anything. Was it late? Without the sun in the sky, there was no way of knowing what time it was or how long he’d been out hunting for. Although when one day appeared to blend so seamlessly into the next, time didn’t mean the same thing as it used to anyway. 

Gladio felt hands pressed against his knees and he glanced up, smiling softly at the sight of Ignis’ face gazing down at him. He reached up to run a hand softly down Ignis’ cheek, lingering when he reached the edge of the scar to let his thumb drift over the rough, slightly raised skin covering his eye. “Hey you,” he murmured again, stretching up to drop a quick, delicate kiss on Ignis’s lips, his hand still cupping the side of his face as he did so.

“Hello yourself,” Ignis smiled back, crouching down to finish unlacing Gladio’s boots, his long, slim fingers working quickly and deftly to untangle the knots. He pulled them off gently and placed them to one side, perfectly lined up with the side of the couch. “Hard day?” he asked, settling down beside Gladio and pulling him towards him for another kiss.

“You have no idea.” Gladio sighed, leaning his head against Ignis’ shoulder. “I thought it’d never end.” He nuzzled closer, allowing his eyes to close as he breathed deeply, inhaling Ignis’ familiar fragrance- a mixture of sweet vanilla and slightly bitter coffee. A headache was definitely on the way- the right side of his head was beginning to throb already and he knew, before too long, it would turn into the crushing pain that felt like someone or something was hammering on the inside of his skull. When it got like that there was nothing he could do except lie in a darkened room with his eyes closed and wait for it to pass. It was his body’s way of rebelling, he supposed, against the heavy physical exertion of the day coupled by the lack of sleep at night. His eyebrows knitted together in a frown, and he rubbed the back of his hand against in eyes in a desperate attempt to push the pain away. 

“Another headache?”

“Mmm. It’s pretty bad this time.” Each word caused a spark of pain to erupt behind his eye as though he was shouting at the top of his lungs rather than whispering.

Ignis shuffled backwards on the couch so that his back was propped up against the arm rest. He took Gladio’s head in his hands and lifted it up gently, lowering it onto his chest and giving him room to draw his legs up. He stretched them out gratefully in front of him, sighing as his trembling muscles relaxed against the soft, plump cushions that Ignis slid underneath them. Ignis wrapped his own legs around Gladio’s body and laid his hands on his chest, his palms soft and cool against Gladio’s burning skin. 

“Any better?” He placed a firm but affectionate kiss on the top of Gladio’s head, smoothing his hand across his brow before using two fingers to massage gentle circles into the spot just between his eyes. 

“Much better,” Gladio muttered as he relaxed into Ignis’ touch. “Thanks, Iggy.”

Ignis’ fingertips continued to brush against his forehead and he tried to focus on what was happening rather than the pain flowing through his body. He pressed his back into Ignis’ chest and concentrated on the sensation of Ignis’ legs intertwined with his own, warm and comforting as they wrapped around him in a tight embrace. He tuned in to the feel of Ignis’ fingertips on his skin. Sometimes they seemed to dance across his forehead in delicate steps, weaving intricate patterns across his skin. At other times, they moved in firm, long strokes, stretching out the skin as they swept over the surface. 

Gladio let out a small moan of appreciation, immediately biting his lip to hold it back. Ignis chuckled quietly.

“I am glad to hear you’re enjoying this so much, Gladio. Though I must admit, it is quite a pleasure to be so close to you again.”

“Yeah… it’s been a while,” Gladio admitted, opening one eye just enough to peer up at Ignis. He was more beautiful than ever, cheeks flushed and skin glowing in spite of the lack of sunlight, soft, pink lips parted into a small wistful smile as he gazed off into the distance. 

“Too long.” Ignis paused, his fingers moving to fiddle with the pile of hair on top of Gladio’s head. He undid the hair tie Gladio had hurriedly wrapped around it, sliding it out without a single snag before smoothing the hair back from his forehead and letting it fan out across his chest as though it was a lion’s mane. He ran his hands through it, pausing to ease out some of the knots and tangles that had begun to form. “Your hair really has got rather long, you know…”

“Sorry about that,” Gladio laughed, reaching down to run his hand down Ignis’ leg, squeezing gently. “I should make the time to cut it…”

“No,” Ignis cut him off, taking a section of hair and holding it thoughtfully between his fingers, twisting it into a curl around one of them before letting it unravel and drop back down to join the rest, one soft, curved wave against the dark, think blanket underneath it. “I like it very much. Though I can assure you I’d love you however you choose to wear your hair.”

“Never doubted it for a second.” Gladio stretched an arm above his head, searching around until his fingers met the back of Ignis’ hand, where he allowed them to drift over his knuckles in a silent _‘I love you too.’_ Ignis linked their fingers together effortlessly as though they were matching pieces in the same jigsaw puzzle, raising Gladio’s hand to his lips and kissing gently, the warm breath against his skin enough to make him shudder in pleasure. 

They lay there in silence, Ignis’ fingers continuing to comb out Gladio’s hair in long, rhythmic movements, travelling all the way from the crown of his head to the very tip of each strand. It was almost hypnotic, the way he stroked and caressed as though his own hands were a hairbrush, moving through each section with such love and care that Gladio even felt his headache beginning to fade. 

Eventually Ignis stopped, shuffling down underneath him so that Gladio’s head was tucked in underneath his chin. He brushed a stray strand of hair away from his forehead, sweeping the thick mane out from under his neck and letting it fall over one shoulder in smooth, unknotted waves.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Iggy. I hope you know that,” Gladio murmured, twisting his neck so that his lips were able to find Ignis'. “You are wonderful.”

“As are you, Gladiolus.” Ignis smiled back at him as he returned the kiss. “As are you.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comments and feedback are very appreciated.
> 
> [Come and chat on tumblr](https://butterfly-girl86.tumblr.com/). I'm friendly and I like to chat!


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